The present invention concerns an apparatus for producing custom-configured, precision orthotics.
It is widely recognized that many individuals stand--whether due to structural deficiencies of the feet or acquired bad posture or the like--in a manner which does not properly align the various bones of the feet and legs and accordingly causes physical discomfort ranging from minor back pains to severe disability. Orthotics compensate for the structural deficiencies of an individual's foot or one's manner of standing by dynamically aligning the foot with the lower leg and knee. Proper alignment dramatically reduces the incidence of injury to the feet, ankles, knees and lower back. For individuals suffering from pain in these areas, orthotics can provide a measure of relief. For others--especially serious amateur and professional atheletes--orthotics reduce the chance of injury while improving economy of motion.
Unlike simple arch supports, which underlie only the central portion of the foot sole, orthotics are full foot supports that can replace the insole of an article of footwear to achieve proper alignment of the ankle and knee. Typically underlying the entire sole of the foot, a properly configured orthotic rotates the foot into an anatomically correct and aligned position that cannot be achieved by a simple arch support. They are most useful and effective, of course, when custom-produced to conform to the unique surface undulations of a particular individual's foot sole.
Relatively primitive orthotics have been fashioned for many years through various relatively complex "hands-on" processes, including molding techniques and vacuum shaping. All require a great deal of time, and many opportunities exist for alignment and fabrication errors to enter the process and destroy the accuracy of the orthotic.
One well-known technique commonly practiced contemplates having the individual sit on an elevated table with feet dangling. The foot is then held in apparent alignment--by lining up, for example, the center of the top of the foot's arch with the center of the kneecap using a crosshair or reference line--and molding material is formed about the foot to create a mold. This mold is thereafter employed to produce the orthotic, often at a remote location, and the entire process can easily take several weeks. Thus, the mold is formed while the patient's foot is in a nonweight-bearing condition--i.e. while no load is being placed on the foot--and one cannot therefore be certain that in a normal weight-bearing state the foot's alignment will remain as desired. Since the orthotics are made from molds which are, in turn, formed from the individual's feet, additional errors frequently enter the production process such that the resulting orthotic often loses a great deal of its potential effectiveness in correcting the individual's foot alignment problems.
It is accordingly the desideratum of the present invention to provide an apparatus with which custom-configured orthotics can be readily and accurately produced while the foot is maintained in weight-bearing relation and without unnecessary delay in obtaining the final product.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such an apparatus in the use of which a custom orthotic is produced directly from the individual's foot and without intermediate molds or the like.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention for which reference should be made to the appended claims.